October 23, 2019 HPC Agenda

CITY OF SAN GABRIEL HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND CULTURAL RESOURCE Ange COMMISSION (HPC)

SPECIAL MEETING

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2019 – 6:30 P.M.

City Hall Council Chamber 425 South Mission Drive, San Gabriel, California 91776 Senya Lubisich Arminé Chaparyan Chair Assistant City Manager / Community Development Mark Juarez Director Vice-Chair Tracy Steinkruger Angela Acosta Planning Manager Commissioner Lloyd Pilchen Beatriz Mojarro City Attorney Commissioner

Eric Weeks Commissioner

Materials Available for Inspection. The Community Development Department has on file copies of written documentation relating to each item of business on this Agenda available for public inspection. You may also view agenda items online at www.sangabrielcity.com. Materials related to an item on this agenda, submitted to the HPC after distribution of the Agenda packet, are available for public inspection at the meeting or in the Community Development Department, located at City Hall, 425 South Mission Drive, San Gabriel, California, during regular office hours, Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Persons with Disabilities. Upon request, this agenda will be made available in appropriate alternative formats to persons with disabilities, as required by Section 202 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Any person with a disability who requires a modification or accommodation in order to participate in a meeting should direct such request to the Community Development Department at (626) 308-2806 at least 48 hours before the meeting, if possible.

Questions About This Agenda? Should any person have a question concerning any of the above agenda items prior to the meeting, please contact the Community Development Department in person or by telephone at (626) 308-2806 during regular office hours.

NOTE: CITY HALL IS AN ACCESSIBLE FACILITY PER THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT. Any person with a disability who requires a modification or accommodation in order to participate in a meeting should direct such a request to the Community Development Department at (626) 308-2806 at least 48 hours before the meeting, if possible.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND CULTURAL RESOURCE COMMISSION (HPC) SPECIAL MEETING

AGENDA – OCTOBER 23, 2019

 CALL TO ORDER

 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

 ROLL CALL – COMMISSION

1. PUBLIC COMMENT

This is the time set aside for members of the public to address the HPC on items of interest that are not on the agenda, but are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the HPC. Pursuant to the Brown Act, the HPC cannot answer any questions or take any action until such time as the matter may appear as an item on a future agenda.

2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Minutes from the October 9, 2019 HPC meeting.

3. INITIAL REVIEW FOR HISTORIC APPROPRIATENESS (INVENTORY) 419 SOUTH MISSION DRIVE APPLICANT: MICHAEL LIU

This report is intended to provide information to the Historic Preservation and Cultural Resource Commission (HPC) regarding a proposed tenant improvement and exterior alteration at 419 South Mission Drive. The property is zoned MDV (Mission District Village) within the Mission District Specific Plan (MDSP) and has a General Plan Land Use Designation of Mission District Village Commercial.

The proposed project site is not on the San Gabriel Register of Cultural Resources. No communitywide inventory has been prepared to date. However, the San Gabriel General Plan and Mission District Specific Plan (MDSP) have both identified the project site as a cultural resource. As such, staff is treating the project site as being potentially eligible for designation. San Gabriel Municipal Code Section (SGMC) 153.619 requires an Initial Review for Historic Appropriateness for alterations of properties on the San Gabriel Inventory. Initial Review for a property that is on the Inventory only does not require a public hearing or noticing.

Staff recommends that the Historic Preservation and Cultural Resource Commission ADOPT a Resolution of the Historic Preservation and Cultural Resource Commission of the City of San Gabriel, California APPROVING for an Initial Review for Historic Appropriateness at 419 South Mission Drive.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND CULTURAL RESOURCE COMMISSION 2 SPECIAL MEETING– OCTOBER 23, 2019

4. INITIAL REVIEW FOR HISTORIC APPROPRIATENESS (REGISTER) SAN GABRIEL MISSION PLAYHOUSE – 320 SOUTH MISSION DRIVE APPLICANT: CITY OF SAN GABRIEL

This report is intended to provide information to the Historic Preservation and Cultural Resource Commission (HPC) regarding proposed alteration to and/or rehabilitation of the front façade at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse (Playhouse) at 320 South Mission Drive. The project site is zoned MDV (Mission District Village) within the Mission District Specific Plan (MDSP) area and has a General Plan Land Use Designation of Commercial Specific Plan. The San Gabriel Mission Playhouse is on the National Register of Historic Places. SGMC Section 153.614 requires an Initial Review for Historic Appropriateness (Initial Review) for any proposed alteration to and/or rehabilitation of a property that is listed on the Register. Initial Review for a property on the Register requires a public hearing and noticing; however, before the public hearing a conceptual review allows for preliminary comments and direction on the project approach prior to the hearing.

Staff recommends that the HPC PROVIDE COMMENTS on the Initial Review (Early-Stage Conceptual Review) at 320 South Mission Drive.

5. CERTIFIED LOCAL GOVERNMENT UPDATE

This item will provide discussion regarding the draft Certified Local Government (CLG) application.

6. MEETING SCHEDULE

During the approval of the Rules of Order, the City Council determine that the meetings of the HPC shall be held on the second Wednesday of March, June, September, and December at 6:30 P.M. It also states that members shall meet on a quarterly basis at minimum or on a monthly basis as determined by the Community Development Director. Staff and the Commission will discuss future meetings dates, meeting times, and meeting location.

7. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

Staff and the Commission will discuss future agenda items.

8. COMMENTS FROM THE PLANNING MANAGER

The Planning Manager may address the Commission and public on matters of general information and/or concern.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND CULTURAL RESOURCE COMMISSION 3 SPECIAL MEETING– OCTOBER 23, 2019

9. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS AND CONFERENCE/MEETING REPORTS

Each Commissioner may address the HPC and public on matters of general information and/or concern. This is also the time for Commissioners to report on conferences and/or meetings they have attended.

10. ADJOURN HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND CULTURAL RESOURCE COMMISSION MEETING

TO THE NEXT MEETING OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND CULTURAL RESOURCE COMMISSION ON DECEMBER 11, 2019 AT 6:30 PM AT CITY HALL, 425 SOUTH MISSION DRIVE, 2ND FLOOR, COUNCIL CHAMBERS.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND CULTURAL RESOURCE COMMISSION 4 SPECIAL MEETING– OCTOBER 23, 2019

CITY OF SAN GABRIEL MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND CULTURAL RESOURCE COMMISSION WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2019

 CALL TO ORDER

The Historic Preservation and Cultural Resource Commission meeting was called to order at 6:40 p.m. on October 9, 2019, in the Council Chamber at City Hall, 425 South Mission Drive, San Gabriel, California, 91776.

 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Chair Lubisich.

 ROLL CALL

Present: Chair Lubisich, Commissioner Acosta, and Commissioner Mojarro

Absent: Vice-Chair Juarez, Commissioner Weeks

Staff in attendance included Planning Manager Steinkruger, Senior Planner Chang and Commission Secretary Ortiz.

1. PUBLIC COMMENT

None

2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Minutes from the August 14, 2019 HPC meeting.

Commissioner Mojarro moved to approve the minutes from the August 14, 2019 Historic Preservation and Cultural Resource Commission meeting. Chair Lubisich seconded the motion. Motion passed with 3 – ayes and 0 – noes (Vice-Chair Juarez and Commissioner Weeks absent).

3. ARROYO VILLAGE PROJECT AT 235 SOUTH ARROYO DRIVE

Senior Planner Chang presented and provided information about the proposed project at 235 South Arroyo Drive.

City’s environmental consultant, Shannon Carmack from Rincon Consultants, Inc., was present to provide background information regarding the Cultural Resources Assessment.

Commissioner Mojarro had questions regarding the driveway entrance from the San Gabriel side of the project and how local streets would be affected.

Senior Planner Chang provided response that the project access would be via a bridge from South Arroyo Drive and there are street improvements relating to curb and sidewalk.

Chair Lubisich had a question regarding the response received from the Native American tribe.

Senior Planner Chang stated that the Gabrielino Band of Mission Indians – Kizh Nation provided consultation to City staff and submitted a formal comment letter. He stated that the responses submitted by the Native American tribes during the environmental review process shall not be publicly disclosed in accordance with the State laws.

Chair Lubisich provided project comments stating the architectural style needs to be compatible with surrounding properties and the Mission District architectural styles.

Commissioner Mojarro provided project comments stating the projects needs to include more landscaping on the San Gabriel portion of the project and encouraged more recreation uses on the site.

4. CERTIFIED LOCAL GOVERNMENT UPDATE

Planning Manager Steinkruger asked each Commissioner to fill out a form from “Certified Local Government Program Application & Procedures” which includes a brief narrative summary of their educational/professional experiences and to provide a copy of their resume.

Chair Lubisich had questions regarding the historic evaluation.

Planning Manager Steinkruger requested that the CLG subcommittee begin work drafting responses to the questions listed in Appendix C (Suggested Preservation Plan/Historic Preservation Element of the General Plan Components) of the CLG application.

5. HISTORICAL CONTEXT REPORT

Planning Manager Steinkruger would provide an update at the next meeting.

6. MEETING SCHEDULE

Planning Manager Steinkruger stated there would be a special meeting of on October 23, 2019.

7. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

Planning Manager Steinkruger stated that future agendas would include a cultural resources report for the nursery site, the exterior modification to the Arcade Building, and exterior modification to the Mission Playhouse.

8. COMMENTS FROM THE PLANNING MANAGER

Planning Manager Steinkruger stated she had received information from the Los Angeles County Assessor regarding participants in the Mills Act program. This information may be transmitted to the Commission at a future date, subject to direction from the City Attorney’s Office.

9. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS AND CONFERENCE/MEETING REPORTS

Commissioner Acosta stated she would not be available for the next meeting on October 23, 2019.

Commissioner Mojarro stated she attended a seminar presented by California Preservation Foundation. She encouraged the Commissions and city staff to attend future trainings.

Chair Lubisich mentioned that she met with Debi Howell-Ardila regarding the Hayes House nomination. She asked whether there would be a Quarterly Economic Update in the fall from the Economic Development Division.

Planning Manager Steinkruger responded that the Economic Development staff is working on the update and they would present the Mission District Feasibility Study at the next City Council meeting on October 15, 2019.

Chair Lubisich asked about the Blossom Market project status. Planning Manager Steinkruger responded that the applicant needs to submit a rooftop equipment screening plan for City to review.

10. ADJOURN HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND CULTURAL RESOURCE COMMISSION MEETING

TO THE NEXT MEETING OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND CULTURAL RESOURCE COMMINISION ON OCTOBER 23, 2019 AT 6:30PM AT CITY HALL, 425 SOUTH MISSION DRIVE, 2ND FLOOR, COUNCIL CHAMBERS.

______ERIKA ORTIZ, SECRETARY HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND CULTURAL RESOURCE COMMISSION

______SENYA LUBISICH, CHAIR HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND CULTURAL RESOURCE COMMISSION

City of San Gabriel

STAFF REPORT

DATE: October 23, 2019

TO: Historic Preservation and Cultural Resource Commission

FROM: Tracy Steinkruger, Planning Manager Anthony Alvarado, Assistant Planner

SUBJECT: Initial Review for Historic Appropriateness Arcade Building (Inventory) - 419 South Mission Drive Planning Case No. PPD19-012 Applicant: Michael Liu

SUMMARY

San Gabriel Municipal Code Section (SGMC) 153.619 requires an Initial Review for Historic Appropriateness (staff- or Commission-level) for alterations of properties on the San Gabriel Inventory.

Staff recommends that the Historic Preservation and Cultural Resource Commission ADOPT a Resolution of the Historic Preservation and Cultural Resource Commission of the City of San Gabriel, California APPROVING Planning Case Number PPD19-012 for an Initial Review for Historic Appropriateness at 419 South Mission Drive. (Attachment A)

BACKGROUND

Historic Preservation and Cultural Resource Ordinance Requirements

The proposed project site is not on the San Gabriel Register of Cultural Resources. No communitywide inventory has been prepared to date. However, the San Gabriel General Plan and Mission District Specific Plan (MDSP) have both identified the project site as a cultural resource. As such, staff is treating the project site as being potentially eligible for designation. San Gabriel Municipal Code Section (SGMC) 153.619 requires an Initial Review for Historic Appropriateness (staff- or Commission-level) for alterations of properties on the San Gabriel Inventory.

Because the property is not on the San Gabriel Register of Cultural Resources, a public hearing/noticing is not required. Additionally, an early stage review is not required.

ANALYSIS

The 13,178 square foot (SF) lot was originally developed in 1926 with a 9,900 SF commercial building known as the Arcade Building. There are five units in this building. The property is zoned MDV within the MDSP and has a General Plan Land Use Designation of Mission District Village Commercial.

The proposed project is in anticipation of a future tenant at 419 South Mission Drive. The proposed project includes both tenant improvements (interior) and façade improvements (exterior). On the interior, existing walls would be removed and two ADA accessible restrooms would be constructed. On the exterior, the existing stucco face on the front wall would be replaced with street facing windows identical to the other units in the building.

The Applicant is also proposing to paint the stucco and the wood trim on the façade for the entire Arcade Building. Currently the wood trim for each unit is painted a different color and the stucco has different shades of white paint. Painting both the stucco and the wood trim of the entire Arcade Building provides a more cohesive design. Staff has provided elevations and photos illustrating how the 419 South Mission Drive space would be modified to match the other units in the building.

The proposed project plans are provided as Attachment B. The proposed color renderings are provided as Attachment C.

The City’s Historic Preservation Architect provided the following comments for the proposed project:

“The architectural style is an original California Spanish Colonial/Mission Revival and major contributor to the character of the Mission District. The proposed façade remodel intends to enhance the existing character of the building, and therefore is acceptable.”

“Based on the proposed façade renovations, it appears the Applicant is intending to match the other existing storefronts, and provide a complete and unified appearance to the entire façade. As currently proposed, the design modifications are acceptable and subject to the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Rehabilitation Standards and Guidelines.”

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW

This proposed project is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), per Guidelines § 15331, Class 31 which applies to “projects limited to maintenance, repair, stabilization, rehabilitation, restoration, preservation, conservation or reconstruction of historical resources in a manner consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring, and Reconstructing Historic Buildings (1995), Weeks and Grimmer.”

INITIAL REVIEW FINDINGS

The Commission may approve or approve with conditions an initial review for projects involving major alterations to cultural resources that:

A. Are compatible with the historic character and scale of the cultural resource, including its size, massing, proportions, orientation, architectural details, and the spatial relationships that characterize the property and its site;

The proposed project would make the unit more compatible with the other units. It would provide a unified look by matching the proportions, orientation, architectural details, and spatial relationships of the existing units in the Arcade Building.

B. Do not result in a change of design, material, or appearance of the property’s character-defining features (except those changes determined to be in compliance with the Secretary’s Standards, per division (A)(1)(c) below);

The proposed project would match the exterior of the other units located in the Arcade Building. It would provide a more consistent uniform look to the units and would not result in a change the property’s character-defining features.

C. Comply with the Secretary’s Standards and any other applicable design guidelines adopted by the city and therefore are either mitigated to a less-than-significant

impact on historical resources under CEQA (CEQA Guidelines [California Code of Regulations. Title 14] § 15064.5(b)(3)) or exempt from CEQA under Class 31, which applies to “projects limited to maintenance, repair, stabilization, rehabilitation, restoration, preservation, conservation or reconstruction of historical resources in a manner consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring, and Reconstructing Historic Buildings (1995), Weeks and Grimmer” (CEQA Guidelines [California Code of Regulations Title 14] § 15331);

The proposed project would comply with California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because the façade change intends to match all existing storefronts to provide a more unified design.

D. Will not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a cultural resource in accordance with CEQA;

The proposed project would provide a more cohesive design for the Arcade Building. The proposed project would not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of cultural resource.

E. Are consistent with the goals and policies of the General Plan; and

The proposed project is consistent with the General Plan by following Goal 11.1 to help preserve and protect valuable cultural resources in the City.

F. Are consistent with the provisions of this subchapter.

The proposed project is consistent with the provisions in the Historic Preservation and Cultural Resource Section of the SGMC.

RECOMMENDATION

Staff recommends that the Historic Preservation and Cultural Resource Commission:

ADOPT A RESOLUTION OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND CULTURAL RESOURCE COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SAN GABRIEL, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING PLANNING CASE NUMBER PPD19-012 FOR AN INITIAL REVIEW FOR HISTORIC APPROPRIATENESS TO ALLOW THE PROPOSED FAÇADE IMPROVEMENT AT 419 SOUTH MISSION DRIVE.

ATTACHMENTS

A. Resolution B. Architectural Plans C. Colored Renderings

ATTACHMENT A

RESOLUTION NO. A RESOLUTION OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND CULTURAL RESOURCE COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SAN GABRIEL, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING PLANNING CASE NUMBER PPD19-012 FOR AN INITIAL REVIEW FOR HISTORICAL APPROPRIATENESS TO ALLOW THE PROPOSED FAÇADE IMPROVEMENT AT 419 SOUTH MISSION DRIVE.

WHEREAS, on August 13, 2019, the Applicant submitted an application for an Initial Review for Historic Appropriateness to request tenant improvement and exterior alteration at 419 South Mission Drive; and

WHEREAS, the project site is zoned MDV (Mission District Village) within the Mission District Specific Plan (MDSP) and has a General Plan Land Use Designation of Mission District Village Commercial; and

WHEREAS, on October 23, 2019, the Historic Preservation and Cultural Resource Commission (HPC) held a HPC meeting, at which time it considered all material and evidence, whether written or oral, after which it voted to approve the project; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Historic Preservation and Cultural Resource Commission of the City of San Gabriel as follows:

SECTION 1. INTITAL REVIEW FOR HISTORIC APPROPRIATENESS: The Historic Preservation and Cultural Resource Commission hereby approves an initial review for historic appropriateness for a tenant improvement and exterior alteration at 419 South Mission Drive based on the following findings:

The proposed project will make the unit more compatible with the other units. It will provide a unified look by matching the proportions, orientation, architectural details, and spatial relationships of the existing units in the Arcade Building.

The proposed project will match the exterior of the other units located in the Arcade Building. It will provide a more consistent uniform look to the units and will not result in a change the property’s character-defining features.

C. Comply with the Secretary’s Standards and any other applicable design guidelines adopted by the city and therefore are either mitigated to a less-than-significant impact on historical resources under CEQA (CEQA Guidelines [California Code of Regulations. Title 14] § 15064.5(b)(3)) or exempt from CEQA under Class 31, which applies to “projects limited to maintenance, repair, stabilization, rehabilitation, restoration, preservation, conservation or reconstruction of historical resources in

1 a manner consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring, and Reconstructing Historic Buildings (1995), Weeks and Grimmer” (CEQA Guidelines [California Code of Regulations Title 14] § 15331);

The proposed project will comply with California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because the façade change intends to match all existing storefronts to provide a more unified design.

D. Will not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a cultural resource in accordance with CEQA;

The proposed project will provide a more cohesive design for the Arcade Building. The proposed project will not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of cultural resource.

E. Are consistent with the goals and policies of the General Plan; and

The proposed project is consistent with the General Plan by following Goal 11.1 to help preserve and protect valuable cultural resources in the City. F. Are consistent with the provisions of this subchapter.

The proposed project is consistent with the provisions in the Historic Preservation and Cultural Resource section of the San Gabriel Municipal Code (SGMC).

SECTION 2. CEQA. This project is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), per Guidelines 15331, Class 31 which applies to “projects limited to maintenance, repair, stabilization, rehabilitation, restoration, preservation, conservation or reconstruction of historical resources in a manner consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring, and Reconstructing Historic Buildings (1995), Weeks and Grimmer.”

SECTION 3. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Resolution shall become effective at the end of the ten business day appeal period, unless appealed.

SECTION 4. MAILING OF RESOLUTION. The Historic Preservation and Cultural Resource Commission Secretary is hereby directed to mail, with a proof of service, a signed copy of this Resolution to the applicant.

PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED THIS 23RD DAY OF OCTOBER 2019 BY THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND CULTURAL RESOURCE COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SAN GABRIEL, CALIFORNIA.

______Senya Lubisich Historic Preservation and Cultural Resource Commission Chair City of San Gabriel

Attest:

______Erika Ortiz Historic Preservation and Cultural Resource Commission Secretary City of San Gabriel

ATTACHMENT B

ATTACHMENT C City of San Gabriel

STAFF REPORT

DATE: October 23, 2019

TO: Historic Preservation and Cultural Resource Commission

FROM: Tracy Steinkruger, Planning Manager Rebecca Perez, Community Services Director Dale Brown, Preservation Architectural Services

SUBJECT: Initial Review for Historic Appropriateness (Early-Stage Conceptual Review) San Gabriel Mission Playhouse (Register) - 320 South Mission Drive Applicant: City of San Gabriel

SUMMARY

The San Gabriel Mission Playhouse is on the National Register of Historic Places. San Gabriel Municipal Code (SGMC) Section 153.614 requires an Initial Review for Historic Appropriateness (Initial Review) for any proposed alteration to and/or rehabilitation of a property that is listed on the Register. Initial Review for a property on the Register requires a public hearing and noticing; however, before the public hearing a conceptual review allows for preliminary comments and direction on the project approach prior to the hearing.

Staff recommends that the HPC PROVIDE COMMENTS on the Initial Review (Early-Stage Conceptual Review) at 320 South Mission Drive.

BACKGROUND

San Gabriel Mission Playhouse

The Playhouse was designed by Arthur B. Benton (Architect) and constructed between 1921-1927 for John Steven McGroarty’s epic Mission Play, charting the establishment of the California Missions. After the run of the Mission Play, the Playhouse was used as a movie theater. During World War II, the Playhouse dressing rooms were turned into

apartments. Since 1945, the Playhouse has been owned and operated by the City of San Gabriel.

On July 22, 2019, the Playhouse was placed in/on the National Register of Historic Places (National Register) (Attachment A and B). As described in the letter issued by the California Department of Parks and Recreation, there are no restrictions placed upon the private property owner with regard to normal use, maintenance, or sale of the a property listed in/on the National Register. However, a project that may cause substantial adverse changes in the significance of a registered property may require compliance with local ordinances or the California Environmental Quality Act.

Historic Preservation and Cultural Resource Ordinance Requirements

SGMC Section153.614 requires an Initial Review to be completed for any proposed alteration to and/or rehabilitation of a property that is listed on the Register. The proposed project was determined to be a major alteration, to be reviewed by the Commission, because it involves work visible from the public right-of-way. Initial Review for a property on the Register requires a public hearing and noticing; however, before the public hearing a conceptual review allows for preliminary comments and direction on the project approach prior to the hearing.

The Initial Review public hearing for the proposed project at 320 South Mission Drive is tentatively scheduled for November 13, 2019.

Proposed Project

In 2018, the City Council unanimously approved the first phase of the proposed restoration of the Playhouse exterior. The staff report on this item is provided as Attachment C. The first phase funded painting the entire building (without the decorative details) the off-white color that it is today. The project was funded with foundation grants, donations, and City-allocated funds.

The proposed project is the second phase of the restoration. City staff contacted Evan LeGrande to execute the second phase of the restoration project. Following the restoration and repainting of the Mission Playhouse in 1996, Evan LeGrande Wilson of LeGrande Studios, Inc. designed and executed the original decorative painting on the façade of the Playhouse. Over the years, Evan has also completed the following restorative projects at the Playhouse: ceiling restoration, plaster and painting of the sound booth, plaster and paint repairs throughout the building, and annual work on the mini Missions in the McGroarty Courtyard.

LeGrande Studios, Inc. possess nearly 30 years of notable achievements in painting, design, historic color designations, conservation and restoration of most historic surfaces. LeGrande Studios, Inc. is a full service art and decorative design studio producing art in the traditions of the old masters and specializing in fine art, murals, restorations and site-specific installations. The respected company has executed projects both large and small for notable clients throughout the western United States and on four continents worldwide. A handout from the studio is provided as Attachment D.

The proposed project is outlined as part of Attachment E. Historic photographs of the site and building are provided as Attachment F. Current façade photographs are provided as Attachment G.

ANALYSIS

The 2003 Mission District Specific Plan (MDSP) identifies the Playhouse as a cultural resource; the Playhouse has since been placed on the National Register. MDSP Section 5.5.4 (Exterior Preservation, Restoration, and Maintenance Standards) states that, “as a matter of policy, the City of San Gabriel shall decide to restore the exterior or all Structures of Cultural Value that it owns in the Mission District. A time schedule, priority list, and funding program should be established for this work. All work on property listed on the Mission District Inventory of Cultural Value should meet the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Historic Buildings.”

A. Preserve the original appearance of exterior facades. B. Restore missing original character defining features. C. Restore original painted, clear, and pigmented finishes on the exterior of buildings. D. Conduct a survey of the existing exterior conditions of all historic city-owned buildings. E. Develop and implement maintenance guidelines and procedures for exterior of buildings.

Preservation Architect Comments

The property will be required to abide by the Secretary of the Interior Standards for rehabilitation of historic properties as listed below:

• A property will be used as it was historically, or be given a new use that maximizes the retention of distinctive materials, features, spaces, and spatial relationships.

• The historic character of a property will be retained and preserved. The removal of distinctive materials or alteration of features, spaces and spatial relationships that characterize a property will be avoided.

• Each property will be recognized as a physical record of its time, place and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or elements from other historic properties, will not be undertaken.

• Changes to a property that have acquired historic significance in their own right will be retained and preserved.

• Distinctive materials, features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a property will be preserved.

• Deteriorated historic features will be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature will match the old in design, color, texture and, where possible, materials. Replacement of missing features will be substantiated by documentary and physical evidence.

• Chemical or physical treatments, if appropriate, will be undertaken using the gentlest means possible. Treatments that cause damage to historic materials will not be used.

• Archeological resources will be protected and preserved in place. If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures will be undertaken.

• New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction will not destroy historic materials, character defining features and spatial relationships that characterize the property. The new work will be differentiated from the old and will be compatible with the historic materials, features, size, scale and proportion, and massing to protect the integrity of the property and its environment.

The proposed project identifies decoration that excessively embellishes the façade and is not appropriate for returning the Playhouse to a period of significance. At this time, the City Preservation Architect does not recommend the proposed façade improvements.

The preferred alternative would be to direct the Applicant to undertake a paint analysis study to endeavor to determine the original paint colors of the entire building. This is preferred in order to allow the building to return to the original overall aesthetic and period of significance. However, with the substantial changes to the façade of the years due to seismic damage and repair and recent façade rehabilitation, it may not be possible to obtain reliable original paint colors.

In lieu of the preferred alternative, it may be appropriate for the Applicant to utilize available historic photographs for color selection and location. The majority of the building would remain off-white. Three paint options could be selected and small sections of façade details could be painted to determine an appropriate trim/detailing color. The façade painting would be completed with the selected color based on its consistency with historic photographs. If preferred, the HPC could assist in this review and/or selection process as part of the Initial Study public hearing.

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW

This proposed project is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act, per Guidelines § 15331, Class 31 which applies to “projects limited to maintenance, repair, stabilization, rehabilitation, restoration, preservation, conservation or reconstruction of historical resources in a manner consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring, and Reconstructing Historic Buildings (1995), Weeks and Grimmer.”

RECOMMENDATION

Staff recommends that the HPC PROVIDE COMMENTS on the proposed Initial Review for Historic Appropriateness (Early Stage Conceptual Review) located at 320 South Mission Drive.

The public hearing for the Initial Review has been tentatively scheduled for November 13, 2019. Should additional time be needed, the public hearing will be rescheduled.

ATTACHMENTS

A: National Register Listing Letter B: Mission Playhouse Register Application (DRAFT) C: Restoration of Mission Playhouse Exterior Staff Report D: LeGrande Studios, Inc. Handout E: Scope of Work F: Historic Photographs G: Recent Façade Photographs

ATTACHMENT A1 ATTACHMENT B1

United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form

This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin, How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions.

1. Name of Property Historic name: __San Gabriel Mission Playhouse______Other names/site number: _San Gabriel Civic Auditorium______Name of related multiple property listing: __N/A______(Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing ______2. Location Street & number: _320 S. Mission Drive______City or town: _San Gabriel______State: _California__ County: __Los Angeles__ Not For Publication: Vicinity: ______3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this x nomination ___ request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property x_ meets ___ does not meet the National Register Criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant at the following level(s) of significance: ___national ___statewide _x_local Applicable National Register Criteria: _x A ___B x C ___D

State Historic Preservation Officer Signature of certifying official/Title: Date __California Office of Historic Preservation______State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register criteria.

Signature of commenting official: Date

Title : State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government ATTACHMENT B2

______4. National Park Service Certification I hereby certify that this property is: entered in the National Register x determined eligible for the National Register determined not eligible for the National Register removed from the National Register other (explain:) _Note that the property was determined eligible for listing on the National Register in 1985 per a local review performed by the Los Angeles County Community Development Agency______

______Signature of the Keeper Date of Action ______5. Classification Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply.) Private:

Public – Local x

Public – State

Public – Federal

Category of Property (Check only one box.)

Building(s) x

District

Site

Structure

Object

ATTACHMENT B3

Number of Resources within Property

(Do not include previously listed resources in the count) Contributing Noncontributing ____1______buildings

______sites

______structures

______objects

_____1______Total

Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register ______6. Function or Use Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) _Recreation and Culture: Theater______

Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) _Recreation and Culture: Theater______

______

7. Description

Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions.) _Late 19th and 20th Century Revival______Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival______

Materials: (enter categories from instructions.) Principal exterior materials of the property: _Brick, Concrete, Stucco______

Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current physical appearance and condition of the property. Describe contributing and noncontributing resources if applicable. Begin with a summary paragraph that briefly describes the general characteristics of the property, such as its location, type, style, method of construction, setting, size, and significant features. Indicate whether the property has historic integrity.) ATTACHMENT B4

______Summary Paragraph

The San Gabriel Mission Playhouse is located at 320 S. Mission Drive in the city of San Gabriel. It is a prominent feature of the locally designated historic district, along with the San Gabriel Mission and Grapevine Park. The rectangular plan auditorium building is located within a triangular area bordered by Broadway to the north, Mission Drive to the west, and Santa Anita to the east. The Playhouse is modeled after the Mission San Antonio de Padua and is an example of Spanish-Colonial-Revival architecture. The frontage of the Playhouse is approximately 400 feet with a depth of approximately 600 feet. The façade of the building is marked by an arcade, a red tile roof, and a two-story high parapet with flanking belfries. Alterations to the interior of the Playhouse have been minimal and in keeping with the needs of its theatrical use, including the removal of seats in the main house to accommodate a new sound board, replacement of carpeting in the main house and balcony, and updates to venue amenities. Exterior modifications as well have been minor, with removal and replacement of a non-original, detached neon sign. Restoration to the façade following the Whittier Narrows earthquake followed preservation protocol.

______Narrative Description

The San Gabriel Mission Playhouse consists of a two-story rectangular plan auditorium building. Designed to resemble the Mission San Antonio de Padua (NR, b. 1771) near present-day Jolon, California. The Playhouse, begun in 1921, was designed by Arthur B. Benton (1858-1927), a major Southern California architect of the late 19th and 20th centuries. Because of Benton’s ill- health, the Playhouse was completed in 1927 according to Benton’s plans by the Los Angeles architectural firm of Dodd and Richards.

The main (south elevation) façade of the building is marked by an arcade, a red tile roof, and a two-story high parapet with flanking belfries. Four iron lamps and a polychrome terra cotta heraldic crest grace the arcade. Molded plasterwork and decorative finials also adorn the arcade. Inside the arcade a vaulted ceiling embellished with polychrome designs leads the eye to molded plaster archways at the east end of the arcade. Heavy carved wood entry doors decorated with polychrome designs encased in modified quatrefoils depicting astronomical and heraldic symbols lead to the auditorium. Above the doors, arched fixed pane transoms are embellished with heavy, interlocking wood tracery.

To the rear of the main elevation, the building stretches north in a two-story form capped by a pitched red tile roof. The stage section of the building rises three stories, and each buttressed corner is capped by a heavy finial. Arched wood frame casement windows punctuate the plain stucco façade on the west and east elevation.

A grass-covered courtyard located along the west elevation is enclosed by a rectangular one- story, red- tiled roofed reliquary, housing a collection of miniature replicas of all of California’s Missions. Asphalt-covered surface parking is found to the west of the auditorium and in the rear ATTACHMENT B5 of the structure. On the east side, a lawn area landscaped with trees stretches from the façade to the enclosing wall, which is located adjacent to the sidewalk on Santa Anita Street.

Related features on site include a six-foot tall decorative wall, a portion of which is adobe. This wall stretches along the east property line at Santa Anita Street and curves around the corner to the west on Mission Drive.i

Entry to the interior of the Mission Playhouse is through the afore-mentioned arcade. Three sets of wooden carved doors open to a rectangular lobby, with the central door as the largest. The flooring in the lobby continues the red brick from the arcade. There is a vestibule with ornate engravings facing the entrance that contains a bust of John Steven McGroarty, author of the Mission Play. The restrooms are accessible off the two ends of the lobby. The box office is accessible on the east end of the lobby, and on the west end, there is a stairway leading up to the balcony seating. The balcony seating is accessed from the two-story lobby by an internal staircases and has three seating sections with four aisles arranged in a stepped plan. Balcony access is accentuated in the lobby by an external walkway supported by heavy, rustic rafter tails and rimmed with wrought-iron railings providing views down into the lobby on three sides.

The ceiling of the lobby is comprised of exposed wooden beams and painted plaster with a decorative motif of arrows, flowers, and geometric shapes. There are three chandeliers that hang from the ceiling and the long sides of the lobby have decorative sconces, four to a side.

The doors that give entrance to the theater’s house duplicate the motif carried throughout the lobby. Each side of the doors has moldings framing the painted motifs. A long vestibule runs along the back of the house that is divided into three sections with four aisles. The house slopes toward the stage ensuring that “there is not a poor seat to be had” in the theater. To achieve perfect sightlines, the theater has three different seat widths. Two outer hallways that run the length of the house provide access to the box seats. The walls of the theater are adorned with ten tapestries that were donated by King Alfonso XIII of Spain for the opening in 1927. The tapestries represent the various heraldic/kingdoms/states of Spain and were a gift to celebrate the opening of the theater. Ten lights hang from the ceiling and are designed to resemble the lanterns on the Spanish Galleons of the 1700s. In the center of the house are four hanging chandeliers.

The ceiling is an ornate, hung plaster ceiling with disparate stylistic threads that pay homage to Aztec, Mayan, Native American, European, and South-east Asian motifs. A color theme of blue, orange, yellow, gold, and brown hues dominates the ceiling.

The proscenium is one of the most striking features of the interior of the Playhouse and boasts an intricately carved and painted Mayan design. The central feature is a Mayan face/mask that looks back at the audience. The same motif is echoed in elaborate plaster grills that flank the stage and that hold the organ pipes. Doorways on either side of the stage lead to the outer hallway for the box seats and to the stage.

The orchestra pit currently houses a 1924 Wurlizter Organ – historic in its own right although not original to the theater. The stage has an apron that is 54’x 6’ wide. The stage depth is 48.1’, not ATTACHMENT B6 accounting for back stage areas. Backstage areas include dressing rooms, restrooms, wardrobe and prop rooms, in addition to a green room.

The location and setting of the Mission Playhouse have retained full integrity since the construction. In 2004, the City of San Gabriel designated the area surrounding the Mission Playhouse and including the San Gabriel Mission as the Historic Mission District. Historic elements, such as the curio-shop, grapevine, and surrounding businesses and homes continue to define the character of the neighborhood and the setting of the Playhouse. The design playwright John McGroarty and architect Arthur Benton envisioned, which architects William Dodd and William Richard executed is retained. The façade, arcade, parapets and belfries continue to articulate the Spanish-Mission motif as intended. The Playhouse retains all significant original features on both the exterior and interior of the structure. The workmanship and materials also retain a high level of integrity. The playhouse retains its integrity of feeling as a cultural expression of the Indigenous, Spanish, and Anglo influences that shaped the history of Southern California. The playhouse certainly retains its association to John Steven McGroarty, the Mission Play, as well as to Arthur B. Benton and the joined architectural and theatrical recasting of the Spanish colonial legacy and Mexican history of Los Angeles.

Alterations: During the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake, the Mission Playhouse sustained damage to its façade. The 6.1 earthquake caused a belfry to collapse onto the roof above the theater’s foyer. The theater closed for one year as the City undertook restoration of the façade. The restorations were completed according to standards for historic integrity and do not constitute an alteration. However, the materials used in the restoration differ from the original construction to place less weight on the structure itself.

Signage for the playhouse has changed over the years. An early, but not original, metal and neon sign located on top of the auditorium property was removed in approximately 1945 and replaced with a detached, lighted monument sign. This too has since been removed and replaced by a new sign that consistently articulates the workmanship and materials of the playhouse and that more closely resembles signage captured in souvenir postcards from the play’s run.ii

ATTACHMENT B7

______8. Statement of Significance

Applicable National Register Criteria (Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property for National Register listing.)

x A. Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history.

B. Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past.

x C. Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction.

D. Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.

Criteria Considerations (Mark “x” in all the boxes that apply.)

A. Owned by a religious institution or used for religious purposes

B. Removed from its original location

C. A birthplace or grave

D. A cemetery

E. A reconstructed building, object, or structure

F. A commemorative property

G. Less than 50 years old or achieving significance within the past 50 years

Areas of Significance (Enter categories from instructions.) _Performing Arts______Architecture______ATTACHMENT B8

______

Period of Significance __1927-1947______

Significant Dates ______

Significant Person (Complete only if Criterion B is marked above.) ______

Cultural Affiliation ______

Architect/Builder __Benton, Arthur B. (1858-1927)______Dodd, William J._(1862-1930)______Richards, William (1871-1945)______

Statement of Significance Summary Paragraph (Provide a summary paragraph that includes level of significance, applicable criteria, justification for the period of significance, and any applicable criteria considerations.)

The San Gabriel Mission Playhouse is significant under Criteron A in the area of Performing Arts, and Criterion C as the work of a master architect in Mission Revival style, at the local level of significance. Designed by master architect Arthur Benton, the building articulates the romantic, idealized notions of early California Mission life that developed during the first decades of the 20th century and that had major impact on the evolution of local and regional architecture and upon the way in which we view of our history. Built to house John Steven ATTACHMENT B9

McGroarty’s Mission Play, the performances recast the colonial legacy of California as a passion play, explaining the Mexican history of Los Angeles to a national audience. Working closely with McGroarty, Benton’s design for the Playhouse elevated and perpetuated the euphoric and ironic mythology of the Mission Play in architecture, thus blurring the very lines of history and heritage in the iconic Mission Revival for which Benton is best known. The period of significance is 1927-1947, from initial construction to the theater’s initial reopening as a playhouse.

______Narrative Statement of Significance (Provide at least one paragraph for each area of significance.)

CRITERION A: PERFORMING ARTS On March 5, 1927, the newly constructed San Gabriel Mission Playhouse opened its doors on the sixteenth season of John Steven McGroarty’s Mission Play. “With a premier of unqualified brilliance, old California as typified in the Mission Play, and modern California as exemplified in the new Mission Playhouse, joined in luring a great throng to San Gabriel last night.” iii Remarkably, the construction of the playhouse had the sole purpose of presenting a single play: The Mission Play. With more than 3,000 performances spanning two decades, an estimated 2.5 million visitors traveled to San Gabriel to view a modern-day “passion play” that recast the Spanish colonial legacy in California, presenting a “white-washed”iv and persistent version of the Mexican history of Los Angeles within a unified narrative and experience that defined the “Spanish Fantasy Past.”

The origin of the Mission Play and subsequent Mission Playhouse are intertwined with the history of the San Gabriel Mission and the Anglo settlement of Southern California. Announcing its 1912 debut, the Los Angeles times claimed that the play, “. . . had been almost literally taken from the pages of history.”v As Historian William Deverell points out, “The ever so slight distinction between drama and history would be erased, and regional culture would canonize the play as Southern California history itself, come back to life where all assumed it had begun, under the stars at the San Gabriel Mission, that ancient engine of civilization.” vi Indeed, drama and history merged in the person of the playwright. John Steven McGroarty, poet, journalist, and congressman, had published a history of California in 1911.vii Consensus among historians is that McGroarty may have worked on his history and the play simultaneously. However, the popular narrative for the genesis of the Mission Play points to Frank Miller, owner and developer of the Mission Inn in Riverside, suggesting that McGroarty was specially prepared to render the history as a drama.viii A variety of cultural trends serves to locate the impetus to dramatize California’s history: the experience of Oberammergau’s Passion Play, the “history on parade” exemplified in La Fiesta de Los Angeles, and the fascination with the “Spanish Fantasy Past” that swept through Southern California.ix According to the popular account, McGroarty requested leave from his newspaper duties, moved to the Mission Inn in Riverside, and took up residence at a writing desk.x Later, while recounting this period in his life, McGroarty stated that the Spanish Colonial Revival architecture of the Mission Inn directly influenced his desire to hire Arthur Burnett Benton as the architect for the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse.xi

ATTACHMENT B10

From its opening in 1912 until the completion of the Mission Playhouse in 1927, performances were held six times a week in an outdoor wooden theater structure situated beside the San Gabriel Mission.xii The original structure claimed to have the largest stage west of the Mississippi, though, “with its thin façade of mission architecture and roofline, looked every inch like a motion picture backlot.”xiii Nonetheless, the theater accommodated as many as fifteen hundred people, which is notable given that the population of San Gabriel did not exceed two thousand until 1920.xiv The cast of this epic production numbered 150, including adults, children, and animals. Actors, dancers, and musicians figured prominently in the script, including the popular “fiesta” scene, featuring a Spanish-influenced music and dance number. McGroarty imagined and Benton then programmed the permanent home of the Mission Play to maintain and perpetuate productions of this scale. Attendees arrived via the popular Red Car transit system, in Ford Model-T’s and other cars of the period. The proximity to the Mission, gave added weight to the subject matter of the play, and allowed people to attend the play and visit the Mission in one trip. Richard Burton, professor and author of How to See a Play noted that, “The entire history of California could now be seen in an afternoon.”xv. Journalist Elizabeth Murray noted that the trip to San Gabriel from Los Angeles constituted a small-scale pilgrimage.xvi Playgoers could view “Ramona’s Home” (a real structure attributed to a fictional character that served to attract fans of Helen Hunt Jackson’s novel), shop for souvenirs at the Curio Shop, and stroll the miniature El Camino Real populated with replicas of the California Missions. So successful were these efforts that the Mission Play became a veritable destination for residents and visitors alike. It was said that if you were visiting Southern California, there were three not-to-be-missed landmarks, Mount Wilson, Catalina Island, and the Mission Play in San Gabriel.xvii

Concurrent with the initial production of the play, McGroarty founded the Mission Play Association, which borrowed money and issued stock in the endeavor to manage the costs, marketing, and production of the play. Through the Association, McGroarty went to work to raise funds for the construction of a new playhouse. McGroarty believed that a new theater, whose sole purpose would be the presentation of the Mission Play, would preserve the play for future generations. He envisioned a grand theater with a large stage, flyhouse, and dressing rooms, suitable to accommodate the cast of 150. He also had fanciful visions of “drive-in box seats” for patrons arriving by car, and hoped that Benton’s design could accommodate permanent sets that included live grasses and trees.xviii He intended that the design would preserve the replica Missions in a garden arcade along with ephemera to “instruct” patrons on the history of California and the Camino Real. He also articulated hope that Benton could design an adjoining compound for an “Indian Village” so that patrons could see the way in which the “Indians in the play….still cling to their traditions and mode of life.”xix In 1923 the cornerstone for a new building was laid. However, by 1924 the Mission Play itself faced financial peril, starting its thirteenth season $11,000 in debt. The Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, recognizing the inherent value of the play, established a committee (The Mission Play Committee of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, chaired by W.I. Hollingsworth) to study the situation. The committee made three conclusions: First, the Mission Play was a profitable investment opportunity; second, a profit could be turned with a season that ran twenty weeks, and third, that the play was so important to the region that the desire for it to persist was universal.xx To put their findings to action, the businessmen of the Chamber of Commerce formed a corporation: The Mission Playhouse Corporation. They intended the Playhouse construction as a non-profit endeavor, leveraged with McGroarty’s donation of the copyright of the play, and all profits from ATTACHMENT B11 the annual operations to the Chamber of Commerce, to go toward the preservation of historical landmarks in California through the California Landmarks Club – founded by Charles Lummis and Arthur Benton. In essence, it was a gift to the State, and its people, from those who contributed to its existence, a veritable list of developers and businessmen who shaped modern Los Angeles.xxi

As a result of the promotion and fundraising efforts, and with an estimated construction cost of approximately $750,000xxii, the Mission Playhouse opened just in time for the sixteenth season of the Mission Play on March 5, 1927. “With a premier of unqualified brilliance, old California as typified in the Mission Play, and modern California as exemplified in the new Mission Playhouse, joined in luring a great throng to San Gabriel last night.” xxiii It was a gala affair with a $100-a-ticket showing of the Mission Play. McGroarty and Lyndon Ellsworth Behymer, the promoter that the Chamber of Commerce hired, attended along with the notable patrons who had stepped forward to rescue the Mission Play. The attendees viewed the first performance in the new Playhouse designed by Arthur Benton and completed by the firm of Dodd and Richards. Its façade was inspired by the Mission San Antonio de Padua, albeit three times larger and finished in faux adobe. The interior was sumptuously decorated with Indian designs on the ceiling, Spanish textile banners representing the various regions of Spain, and a gold-encrusted Indian’s head hanging over the stage. Department store magnate, Arthur Letts, development baron Harold Janss, and other donors had contributed the gift of an Aeolian Pipe Organ to the Playhouse. Nonetheless, at the end of opening night, the attendees left an additional $60,000 in donations to further furnish the Playhouse.xxiv

In his article detailing the newly opened theater journalist Marquis Busby captured the essence of the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse. “Out at Old San Gabriel, where the past still keeps its lingering hold, a dream house has been built. Like all dream houses, it has the spaciousness and proud beauty of air castles in Spain, and yet it has all the tangibility of twentieth century America.” xxv The Mission Playhouse did stand as a testament to the past, built on ground once contained within the “cactus-walled” grounds of the Mission compound, adjacent to the Old Grapevine – mother vine of grapes in California, and surrounded by adobe structures. Yet, simultaneously, the Mission Play and its new home, the Mission Playhouse, articulated a modern image of California to the thousands of people who traveled to watch performances.

Despite its impressive opening in the new Playhouse, the popularity of the Mission Play continued to decline. The year 1927 marked historic developments for show business, the first “Talkie” “The Jazz Singer” was released, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science was established with Douglas Fairbanks as President, and Graumen’s Chinese Theater opened in Hollywood. Public entertainment tastes shifted toward the new modern medium and enthusiasm for the Mission Play continued to decline. To help bring revenue, the Playhouse hosted the Mission Play, as well as a few “stock” Broadway theater productions from 1927 to 1932. At the end of the 1932 season, and an astounding 3,198 performances, the effects of the depression in addition to a failed attempt to produce the Mission Play on Broadway, ended the long run of the play (there was a brief revival of the Mission Play in 1936 and again the 1940s).

After the play’s closure in 1932, the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse was soon returned to the holders of the mortgage where its future was in doubt. During the ensuing decade, the Playhouse ATTACHMENT B12 operated as a movie theater. And during the severe housing shortage of the war years the Playhouse dressing rooms were converted into apartments.

It was in the mid 1940s that a group of San Gabriel residents, headed by two local photographers, formed a citizen’s committee whose goal was to see the City purchase the Playhouse. This committee drew the support of a variety of local organizations such as Kiwanis, the American Legion San Gabriel Post 142, Recreation Commission, and the Chamber of Commerce. Arguments for the purchase of the Playhouse called upon the legacy of the Mission Play: “Only through the acquisition by the City of San Gabriel of this property can the Mission Play be again presented in the building built expressly for that purpose. We in San Gabriel now have the opportunity to keep faith with the originators of this romantic tradition and to bring to life again this most beautiful story.”xxvi Although voters rejected the first initiative in April of 1945, it was successfully passed in August of that year at which time the City purchased the Mission Playhouse with a $160,000 bond measure and renamed it the San Gabriel Civic Auditorium. Election materials promised that the Playhouse would serve as a cultural center for the city as well as provide a central location where celebrations could take place (ranging from graduations to the San Gabriel Fiesta). Tellingly, supporters argued the purchase was an important step forward in the “soon-to come Post-war era”.xxvii

On September 26, 2007, the City renamed the theater, reverting back to the original name, the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse.xxviii And, in 2013, as part of the City of San Gabriel’s Centennial celebrations, the Playhouse staged a “re-imagined” version of the Mission Play. This new version incorporated much of the original play while ensuring that modern sensibilities around the Native American experience, religious colonialism, and the Asian community, were taken into account. The play was a great success in terms of community engagement and fundraising, providing something of a ‘jumping-off’ point for both these areas of the Playhouse. Through a series of events and meetings, Anna Cross (Mission Playhouse, Director) and Jonathan Salisbury (Mission Playhouse, Program Coordinator) successfully raised over $60,000 in cash and in-kind support. They achieved this through personal contact with donors and sponsors, through presentations featuring artists from the show and artifacts from the original production.

More recently, in sharp contrast to the story and spectacle of the Mission Play, an original drama entitled Toypurina was presented at the Mission Playhouse. It recounts the rebellion against Father Junipero Serro led by a Gabrieleno-Tongva woman known as Toypurina. This play was well received and critically acclaimed, and there is hope for future performances and educational/curriculum outreach opportunities for this production.

CRITERION C: WORK OF A MASTER ARCHITECT

Arthur B. Benton was born in Peoria, Illinois, in 1858, educated in Topeka, Kansas where he earned his degree in 1887, and moved to California in 1891 where he left a rich architectural legacy as one of the great masters of the Mission Revival style. This style came into fashion as Benton arrived in California. Helen Hunt Jackson’s novel Ramona had popularized the idea of an idyllic period between the indigenous populations of California and the Spanish Colonizers. Shortly after his arrival in California, Benton, under the leadership of Charles Lummis, helped to ATTACHMENT B13 establish the California Landmarks Club (1894) which set its conservation efforts on the crumbling Missions. The architectural style that developed used details from the Mission churches on all types of new buildings, such as homes, commercial centers, city halls, the YWCA, and theaters. Dominant features of this style include mission arches, tile roofs, gables, domes, and quatrefoil windows. Benton gained notoriety as a master of the Mission Revival Style when Frank Miller commissioned him to build the Mission Inn in Riverside, California. It was here that John Steven McGroarty took up residence as he worked on the Mission Play. Deeply inspired by the design of the Mission Inn, McGroarty commissioned Benton to design the permanent home of his Mission Play: The San Gabriel Mission Playhouse. The Playhouse stands as the last major commission of Arthur Benton, although his ill health required that the firm of Dodd and Richards complete the work.

Benton’s contributions to the popularity and the very character of the Spanish Colonial Revival style are many and the influence of his designs span California and the Southwest. While the Spanish Colonial Revival style found its earliest articulation in private homes, of which Benton designed many – including the Tujunga home of John Steven McGroarty – it moved easily into the civic sphere and gave rise to the idealization and mythology of the “Spanish Towns” of California. During his career, Benton designed multiple homes (Butts, McGroarty, Wallace Homes and, notably, the Mary Andrews Clark Memorial Home [YWCA] - listed on the National Register of Historic Places), theaters (the Riverside Municipal Auditorium and the Mission Playhouse), churches (First Church of Christ Science in Riverside, Church of the Advent in Los Angeles), hotels (the Mission Inn, the Arlington Hotel in Santa Barbara, the Arrowhead Hotel, and San Marcos Hotel), and commercial centers. The period of Spanish Colonial Revival in California dove-tailed the chronology of Benton’s career. In California’s Architectural Frontier, Harold Kirker argued that there was a palpable desire at the turn of the century to identify an architectural style that was both indigenous and unique to California.xxix However, David Gebhard is quick to establish that, “The Spanish Colonial Revival, from its Mission phase on, was almost totally a myth created by newcomers to the area. Few artificially created architectural myths have succeeded in retaining a firm hold for so long…”xxx Benton’s commission to design Frank Miller’s Mission Inn firmly established him at the forefront of the style. Evident in his commissions are the characteristic elements of Spanish Colonial Revival: Mission Façades flanked by belfries; parapeted, scalloped gable ends; simple arcades; tiled roofs; and broad, unbroken exterior surfaces of cement stucco. It was Benton’s ability to articulate the Spanish Fantasy past that made him an automatic choice to design McGroarty’s Playhouse.

Benton collaborated with McGroarty resulting in a uniquely-designed theater space unlike any other due to the demands of the play and its extreme popularity. In a 1921 article published in the Los Angeles Times, McGroarty articulated his vision for the Playhouse and elucidated his collaboration with Benton. His grandiose program for the structure included drive-in seating so that patrons who arrived on the Santa Anita side of theater could enjoy “the play without leaving their cars” – defacto “private loges.”xxxi He envisioned gardens, an Indian Village, and shops that introduced patrons to Spanish cuisine and crafts. He acknowledged that, through collaboration, he and Benton had selected the Mission San Antonio de Padua as the model for the theater. He also acknowledged that Benton was the most acclaimed student and master of Spanish-Mission architecture.xxxii This at once ambitious, euphoric, and ironic vision that McGroarty published in the Los Angeles Times concluded with the statement that, “…today in 1921 as in 1771 the ATTACHMENT B14

Indians are again making adobe bricks at San Gabriel…”xxxiii The task to execute this vision of place and prominence was now in the hands of Arthur Benton.

Far more than ambition, financial constraints limited the extent to which Benton could fully articulate the architectural program of McGroarty. True to the initial plans, an enlarged façade of the Mission San Antonio de Padua was created for the playhouse. The persistent characteristics of Spanish/Mission architecture were elegantly executed: the low, long profile of the missions gave way to the rise necessary for staging. Belfries and heavy finials accentuated the profile of the theater. Arcades and arches define the entries and interior spaces of the theater. The massing of the structure, situated in a triangular piece of land – which had been protected through purchase by an unnamed “friend” of the Mission Playxxxiv – neither overshadowed the actual Mission nor cowered next to it. Rather, intermediary structures, such as the historic grapevine, curio shop, and Ramona’s house provided an ambulatory transition between the Mission and the Playhouse. The outdoor reliquary housing the miniature replicas of California missions completed the pilgrimage-like experience. Although the playhouse opened to the 19th season without complete furnishings, the gift of tapestries from Spain completed the narrative that the play and playhouse sought to communicate. In 1927, the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse paid homage to the Mission San Antonio carrying forth and expanding the Franciscan Mission design of the late 18th century. While performances of the Mission Play no longer communicate the idealized and ironic vision of the past, the architectural program executed by Arthur Benton remains as a physical and literal iteration of the Spanish fantasy past that excluded the contemporary Spanish-speaking populations. The playhouse stands as an important and final example of Benton’s articulation of Mission/Spanish Colonial revival architecture in California, which cannot be under-estimated as it literally gave place and prominence to the sustaining mythologies. ATTACHMENT B15

______9. Major Bibliographical References

Bibliography (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form.)

Behymer Papers and Ephemera, Huntington Library Collections. Benton, Arthur B. “The California Mission and its Influence Upon Pacific Coast Architecture.” Architect and Engineer, XXIV, February 1911, pp. 35-75. Bokovoy, Matthew F. The San Diego World's Fairs and Southwestern Memory, 1880-1940. Albuquerque, Nuevo Mexico: U of New Mexico in Cooperation with the San Diego Historical Society, 2005. Print. California Life. Mission Play Special. N.p.: n.p., 1920. Print. Connie Rothstein Collection of Southern California Missions, the Mission Play, and Southern California, Huntington Library Collections. Deverell, William. "Whitewashed Adobe the Rise of Los Angeles and the Remaking of Its Mexican past." Whitewashed Adobe the Rise of Los Angeles and the Remaking of Its Mexican past. University of California Press, 2004. Web. Elena Ozorio, Oral history, April 24, 2016. Field, Evan K., and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Department of Business Administration. An Opinons and Perceptions Study of Patrons of the San Gabriel Playhouse. Thesis. Cal Poly Pomona University, 2011. [Pomona [Calif.]]: [California State Polytechnic U, Pomona], 2011. Print. Gebhard, David. “Spanish Colonial Revival Style in Southern California, 1895-1930.” Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. 26:2, 131-147. Gonzales, Nathan Daniel. Visit Yesterday, Today: Ethno-tourism and Southern California, 1884-1955. Thesis. University of California, Riverside, 2006. N.p.: n.p., 2006. Print. Gutiérrez, David. "Walls and Mirrors Mexican Americans, Mexican Immigrants, and the Politics of Ethnicity." Walls and Mirrors Mexican Americans, Mexican Immigrants, and the Politics of Ethnicity. N.p., n.d. Web. Macias, John. Of Spanish Myths and Mexican Realities: social and racial development in San Gabriel, California, 1771-1971. Dissertation. Claremont Graduate University, 2012. McGroarty, John Steven,, and Blake, Moffitt & Towne. California : Seventeen Sixty-nine - Nineteen- nineteen. Los Angeles, Calif.: Bireley & Elson Print., 1919. Print. McGroarty, John Steven,, and General Mission Preservation Fund. "Mission Play Program." (19uu): n. pag. Print. McGroarty, John Steven,. California : Its History and Romance. Los Angeles: Grafton, 1911. Print. McGroarty, John Steven,. The Mission Play; a Pageant Play in Three Acts ... [Place of Publication Not Identified: John S. McGroarty, 1911. Print. McGroarty, John Steven,. The Mission Play, Presented in the Mission Play House at Old San Gabriel Mission, California. [Los Angeles, Cal.]: [Smith-Barnes, Printers], 1923. Print. McGroarty, John Steven,. The Mission Play Souvenir Book. Los Angeles: Challpin Holding, 1928. Print. McWilliams, Carey. California: The Great Exception. New York: Current ,, A. A. Wyn, 1949. Print. McWilliams, Carey. "The Writers of California." Bookman. 72.4 (1930): n. pag. Print. Mission Play Association (Los Angeles, Calif.). Franciscan Missions of California, Their History and Traditions with Synopsis of the Mission Play. Los Angeles: M.E.L. Allen, 1912. Print. ATTACHMENT B16

Reisler, Mark. By the Sweat of Their Brow : Mexican Immigrant Labor in the United States, 1900-1940. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 1976. Print. Rothstein, Connie. Connie Rothstein Collection of California Missions, The Mission Play, and Southern California,. N.p.: n.p., 1862. Print. San Gabriel, California : Home of the Mission Play. [San Gabriel]: [Chamber of Commerce?], 192u. Print. Sanchez, George J. Becoming Mexican American : Ethnicity, Culture, and Identity in Chicano Los Angeles, 1900-1945. New York: Oxford UP, 1993. Print. Saxton, Alexander, and Paul Avrich Collection (Library of Congress). The Indispensable Enemy : Labor and the Anti-Chinese Movement in California. Berkeley: U of California, 1971. Print. Saxton, Alexander. The Rise and Fall of the White Republic : Class Politics and Mass Culture in Nineteenth-century America. London; New York: Verso, 1990. Print. "Scenes of Play on Stage, Mission Play, San Gabriel, CA, 1930." Scenes of Play on Stage, Mission Play, San Gabriel, CA, 1930. Dick Wittingham Studios - University of Southern California Digital Library, n.d. Web. Walker, Franklin. A Literary History of Southern California. Berkeley: U of California, 1950. Print. Winter, Robert. “Architecture of the City Eclectic.” California History. 60:1, 72-23.

______

Previous documentation on file (NPS):

____ preliminary determination of individual listing (36 CFR 67) has been requested ____ previously listed in the National Register ____ previously determined eligible by the National Register ____ designated a National Historic Landmark _x___ recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey #___37-8A______recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # ______recorded by Historic American Landscape Survey # ______

Primary location of additional data: __x__ State Historic Preservation Office ____ Other State agency ____ Federal agency __X_ Local government ____ University ____ Other Name of repository: ___California Historic Resources Inventory, County of Los Angeles, City of San Gabriel______

Historic Resources Survey Number (if assigned): _19-188836______10. Geographical Data

Acreage of Property ___Less than 1 acre_____

ATTACHMENT B17

Use either the UTM system or latitude/longitude coordinates

Latitude/Longitude Coordinates (decimal degrees) Datum if other than WGS84:______(enter coordinates to 6 decimal places)

1. Latitude: 34.097964 Longitude: -118.108445

Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property.)

The Mission Playhouse occupies a triangular piece of property bordered by Broadway St. to the North, Santa Anita St. to the East (running a SE diagonal), and Mission Dr, to the West (running a SW diagonal). A parking lot occupies the space to the west of the Playhouse.

Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected.)

The property was selected for its proximity to the San Gabriel Mission and other historic properties, the railroad, and original location of the Mission Play theater. These are the historic and current boundaries of the property.

______11. Form Prepared By

name/title: _Senya Lubisich, Ph.D.and Kelly Salloum______organization: _San Gabriel Mission Playhouse______street & number: _320 S. Mission Dr. ______city or town: _San Gabriel______state: ___CA______zip code:_91776___ [email protected], [email protected]______telephone:_626-222-5240, ______date:_____November 29, 2017______

______

Additional Documentation

Submit the following items with the completed form:

 Maps: A USGS map or equivalent (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's location.

 Sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources. Key all photographs to this map.

 Additional items: (Check with the SHPO, TPO, or FPO for any additional items.)

ATTACHMENT B18

Sketch Map

ATTACHMENT B19

Location Map (Bing Maps)

ATTACHMENT B20

Photographs

Photo Log Name of Property: San Gabriel Mission Playhouse City or Vicinity: San Gabriel County: Los Angeles County State: CA Photographer: Antonio Montesione Date Photographed: 2012 Description: Main/south Façade, camera facing northeast Photo 1 of 14

Name of Property: San Gabriel Mission Playhouse City or Vicinity: San Gabriel County: Los Angeles County State: CA Photographer: Johnny Vy Date Photographed: 2011 Description: Loggia/entrance to theater, camera facing west Photo 2 of 14

Name of Property: San Gabriel Mission Playhouse City or Vicinity: San Gabriel County: Los Angeles County State: CA Photographer: Johnny Vy Date Photographed: 2011 Description: Front doors of theater, Lobby, camera facing south Photo 5 of 14

Name of Property: San Gabriel Mission Playhouse ATTACHMENT B21

City or Vicinity: San Gabriel County: Los Angeles County State: CA Photographer: Johnny Vy Date Photographed: 2011 Description: Front doors of theater, Lobby, camera facing south Photo 6 of 14

Name of Property: San Gabriel Mission Playhouse City or Vicinity: San Gabriel County: Los Angeles County State: CA Photographer: Johnny Vy Date Photographed: 2011 Description: Interior of theater, view from the balcony seats, camera facing northwest Photo 7 of 14

Name of Property: San Gabriel Mission Playhouse City or Vicinity: San Gabriel County: Los Angeles County State: CA Photographer: Berger/Corser Date Photographed: 1999 Description: Interior of theater, view of box seats and theater beyond, camera facing west Photo 8 of 14

Name of Property: San Gabriel Mission Playhouse City or Vicinity: San Gabriel County: Los Angeles County State: CA Photographer: Johnny Vy Date Photographed: 2011 Description: Interior of theater, ceiling, camera facing upward Photo 9 of 14

Name of Property: San Gabriel Mission Playhouse City or Vicinity: San Gabriel County: Los Angeles County State: CA Photographer: Johnny Vy Date Photographed: 2011 Description: Interior of theater, organ grid stage right, camera facing northwest Photo 10 of 14

Name of Property: San Gabriel Mission Playhouse City or Vicinity: San Gabriel ATTACHMENT B22

County: Los Angeles County State: CA Photographer: Berger/Corser Date Photographed: 1999 Description: Interior of theater, view toward back of theater toward balcony and lobby area, camera facing southeast Photo 11 of 14

Name of Property: San Gabriel Mission Playhouse City or Vicinity: San Gabriel County: Los Angeles County State: CA Photographer: Johnny Vy Date Photographed: 2011 Description: Exterior west arcade, courtyard, and miniature missions, camera facing northwest Photo 12 of 14

Name of Property: San Gabriel Mission Playhouse City or Vicinity: San Gabriel County: Los Angeles County State: CA Photographer: Johnny Vy Date Photographed: 2011 Description: Exterior west arcade, miniature missions, camera facing northwest Photo 13 of 14

Name of Property: San Gabriel Mission Playhouse City or Vicinity: San Gabriel County: Los Angeles County State: CA Photographer: Johnny Vy Date Photographed: 2011 Description: Exterior west side of building, camera facing northeast Photo 14 of 14

Figure Log

Figure 1 of 10 ATTACHMENT B23

San Gabriel Mission Playhouse, San Gabriel, Los Angeles County, CA Photographer: unknown Date Photographed: 1927 Description: Main/south Façade, including original neon roof signage, camera facing north

Figure 2 of 10 San Gabriel Mission Playhouse, San Gabriel, Los Angeles County, CA Photographer: unknown Date Photographed: 1927 Description: Main/south Façade, camera facing northeast

Figure 3 of 10 San Gabriel Mission Playhouse, San Gabriel, Los Angeles County, CA Photographer: unknown Date Photographed: 1937 Description: Main/south Façade, camera facing north, when it was leased for showing movies by O.W. Lewis from 1932-1942, after the Mission Play closed

Figure 4 of 10 Retail building, downtown Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, CA Photographer: G. Haven Bishop Date Photographed: April 2, 1915 Description: Street scene on Broadway Ave, between 5th and 6th Street at night with illuminated sign advertising the Mission Play in Old San Gabriel Courtesy of Southern California Edison Collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, CA.

Figure 5 of 10 Mission Play program, San Gabriel, Los Angeles County, CA Photographer: unknown Date Photographed: March 1927 Description: Program Cover for the Mission Play, 16th Season, opening of the new San Gabriel Mission Playhouse, March 1927

Figure 6 of 10 Advertisement Flyer, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, CA Date: circa 1913 ATTACHMENT B24

Description: Advertisement Flyer for the Mission Play

Figure 7 of 10 Los Angeles Sunday Times newspaper article, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, CA Date: March 6, 1927 Description: Article covering the opening of the Mission Playhouse, Courtesy of Glendale Public Library, Special Collections

Figure 8 of 10 Tourist map of California Published by A.M. Robertson, San Francisco, copyright 1927 Artist: Jo (Jacinto) N. Mora Description : Map altered to show section featuring the Mission Play in San Gabriel

Figure 9 of 10 Orange crate label, San Marino Growers Packing Association, San Marino, CA Date: 1923 Description: Orange crate label featuring the Mission Play, for national distribution Courtesy of Jay T. Last Collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, CA

Figure 10 of 10 Works Progress Administration map, San Gabriel District, Los Angeles County, CA Date: 1936 Description: Historic map of San Gabriel Mission District featuring historic buildings (the Mission Playhouse would have been considered a “new” building at this time, thus not included on the map of historic buildings)

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response ATTACHMENT B25

to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C.460 et seq.). Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 100 hours per response including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Office of Planning and Performance Management. U.S. Dept. of the Interior, 1849 C. Street, NW, Washington, DC. i Description prepared by Diane Plava, Los Angeles County Community Development Commission, 11/8/1985. ii Mission Play Exhibit, San Gabriel Historical Association Museum iii “Opening of Mission Play a Brilliant Affair”, Shallert, Edwin, Los Angeles Times, March 6, 1927, p. 3. iv This term is taken from William Deverell’s book titled, “Whitewashed Adobe”. v “Franciscan Glory-Story: “American Oberammergau” of John S. McGroarty”, Los Angeles Times, April 28, 1912, III- 1. vi Deverell, William, White Washed Adobe, (Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2004), p. 209. vii McGroarty, John Steven, California : Its History and Romance, (Los Angeles: Grafton, 1911). viii Deverell, William, White Washed Adobe, (Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2004), p. 211. ix A phrase attributed to Carey McWilliams in Deverell, White Washed Adobe, p. 28, 264. The phrase is also articulated in tourism literature. See “Southern California Through the Camera” published by the Los Angeles “All Year Club” in the 1920s. x McGroarty’s biographer offers alternatives to the traditional narrative and timetable of the play’s creation. Mary Eleanor Craggs, “The Career of John Steven McGroarty”, M.A. Thesis, Catholic University of America, San Rafael, California, 1958. Elizabeth Murray gives a very dramatic rendering of the play’s origin that falls between the regional lore and the historical consensus: “A Sketch of Play’s Creation and History”, Elizabeth Murray, West Coast Magazine, volume 12, 1912. See also, William Deverell, White Washed Adobe. xi “New and Larger Theater for the Mission Play,” Los Angeles Times, February 20,1921. xii “Mission Play’s Novel Home: New Theater Building Rapidly at San Gabriel”, Los Angeles Times, February 25, 1912, p. II-11. xiii Deverell, William, White Washed Adobe, (Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2004), p. 215. xiv Population data: http://www.laalmanac.com/population/po26.htm; The city of San Gabriel incorporated in 1913. xv Quoted in a 1915 Mission Play playbill, copy, Huntington Library. xvi Elizabeth Murray, “A Sketch of Play’s Creation and History”, West Coast Magazine, volume 12, 1912. xvii During a span of 20 years, 2.5 million people attended some 3,000 performances of the play This figure is widely reported in playhouse programs, the Los Angeles Times, and literature pertaining to the play. The playhouse also figures in Joseph “Jo” Mora, California Tourism maps xviii “New and Larger Theater for the Mission Play”, John Steven McGroarty, Los Angeles Times, February 20, 1921, p. V1 xix Ibid. xx Deverell, p. 232. xxi Ibid. To assist in raising funds, the Mission Play Corporation sold stock options. Board member and businessman, George I. Cochran stated that his purchase of preferred stock was, “not a subscription but a loan…” which appeared to be a common belief among notable investors.xxi Henry E. Huntington and D.L. Doheny contributed $10,000 each, the Retail Merchants Association gave $6,000, Harry Chandler, George Cochran, Samuel Rindge, W.I. Hollingsworth, Henry Robinson, Title Insurance Corporation, and Eli Clark pledged $5,000. And Frank Miller, owner of the Mission Inn in Riverside contributed $3,000. As a result, the support for the Mission Play and Playhouse drew from Southern California’s elite.xxi Despite their patronage, the Corporation hired Lyndon Ellsworth Behymer, a promoter with a long history in Los Angeles show business to manage the Mission Play and Playhouse construction. xxii Approximately 10 million dollars today. xxiii “Opening of Mission Play a Brilliant Affair”, Shallert, Edwin, Los Angeles Times, March 6, 1927, p. 3. xxiv Deverell, pp. 244-245. xxv “New Mission Play Theater Opens Doors in San Gabriel”, Busby, Marquis, Los Angeles Times, March 6, 1927, p. C-17. xxvi “A Cultural Future That Awaits San Gabriel”, pamphlet, San Gabriel Mission Playhouse ATTACHMENT B26

xxvii Ibid. xxviii Connie Rothstein Collection of California Missions, the Mission Play and Southern California, Huntington Library, Box 28. xxix Harold Kirker, California’s Architectural Frontier, p. 120 xxx David Gebhard, The Spanish Colonial Revival in Southern California, 1895-1930, Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, p. 131. xxxi “New and Larger Theater for the Mission Play”, John Steven McGroarty, Los Angeles Times, February 20, 1921, p. V1 xxxii Ibid. xxxiii Ibid. xxxiv Ibid. ATTACHMENT C1 ATTACHMENT C2 ATTACHMENT C3 ATTACHMENT D1 ATTACHMENT D2 ATTACHMENT D3 ATTACHMENT D4 ATTACHMENT E1 ATTACHMENT E2 ATTACHMENT E3 ATTACHMENT E4 ATTACHMENT F1 ATTACHMENT F2 ATTACHMENT F3 ATTACHMENT G1 ATTACHMENT G2